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WHO expresses concern over COVID19 spread in Iran

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 18, 2021

Tehran, IRNA -- The Representative and Head of Mission to the Islamic Republic of Iran of the World Health Organization (WHO) Jaffar Hussain has expressed deep concern over the spread of COVID19 virus in Iran.

In a statement on COVID19 Vaccination in Iran on Wednesday, the WHO official expressed concern over the spreading COVID19 pandemic in Iran, and its impact on the lives, well-being, and livelihoods of the Iranian people.

"The Organization remains committed to working with all partners to saves lives, ensure wellbeing, and control infection across the country.

As COVID19 continues to hit Iran aggressively, the country is reporting low levels of vaccination coverage. As of 16 August 2021, 13.1% of the total population have received a first dose and 5.15% have received two doses. While delays in delivering sufficient doses of COVID19 vaccines limited the capacity to increase coverage, it is encouraging to see an acceleration that started early August 2021, reaching priority groups and people in the age groups of 40s and 30s in the worst hit provinces of Iran.

To date, the COVAX Facility has delivered a total of 5,064,610 COVID19 vaccines doses to Iran. An additional total of 8.5 million doses from COVAX Facility will be delivered in August and September 2021. Vaccine donations from other countries are expected to arrive in the country on 20 August 2021.

As part of its ongoing response to the pandemic in Iran, the World Health Organization continues to mobilize teams to provide information, recommendations, and technical guidance. WHO also continues to engage proactively with national counterparts to strengthen the health care system and raise awareness about the virus to counter its heavy economic and social burden. One key measure taken in Iran is the COVID19 Emergency Response Project (ICERP), financed by the World Bank and in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Medical Education of Iran. The project delivered life-saving medical and diagnostic equipment to public hospitals and laboratories across the country to support the fight against the COVID19 pandemic.

WHO calls on all people to continue playing their critical role in preventing transmission. While vaccines are a key tool to ending the pandemic, they do not work alone. It is every individual's responsibility to practice the proven public and social health measures that we know work to stop infection from spreading: maintaining physical distancing, practicing hand hygiene, avoiding crowded and closed spaces, wearing a mask, and responding to the vaccination call when offered," the statement read.

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